Where is Anna Nicole Smith's daughter – Dannielynn Birkhead – now?
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By now you'll have likely seen the trailer for Netflix's newest celebrity documentary – focussed on Anna Nicole Smith – doing the rounds (and, if not, you can watch it above!).
The documentary has been described by Netflix as an "unflinching and humanising examination of the life, death and secrets" of the nineties icon, who was "the very essence of the American dream". It'll also feature "never-before-seen footage, home movies and interviews with key figures who have not spoken out until now," giving fans a "new insight into the story of the quintessential blonde bombshell hardly anyone really knew."
After the trailer for Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me dropped, fans were quick to question whether her daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, would make an appearance in the documentary as well as wondering what the 16-year-old is up to.
With that in mind – and ahead of the documentary's release in May – here's what you need to know about Smith's daughter, as well as where she is now.
Who was Anna Nicole Smith?
Anna Nicole Smith (real name: Vickie Lynn Hogan) was an American model, actress and television personality. She started her career as a Playboy magazine centrefold in May 1992, going on to win the title of Playmate of the Year in 1993. This propelled her into stardom, and she later modelled for major fashion brands including Guess and H&M.
It wasn't until the mid nineties though – after her marriage to billionaire James Howard Marshall, who was 63 years her senior – that Smith really found herself in the spotlight.
Unsurprisingly, Smith's marriage to Marshall made global headlines, and she was repeatedly accused of entering the relationship for monetary gain – something which she strongly denied. Upon Marshall's death at the age of 90, just one year on from their wedding, Smith was thrust into a years-long legal battle over his will. Smith argued that although she wasn't named in the will, Marshall had verbally promised her half of his estate, in return for the marriage.
But Smith never lived to see the outcome of the the case, and in 2007 she tragically died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 39.
What happened to Dannielynn Birkhead after Anna Nicole Smith's death?
In June 2006, Smith announced her pregnancy in a video clip on her official website, later welcoming her daughter – Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern – in September 2006 in the Bahamas. On her birth certificate, attorney Howard K. Stern was listed as her father but this was contested by entertainment photographer, Larry Birkhead, who claimed that he was the baby's father.
Birkhead went on to file a lawsuit to establish paternity, but this was another case that Smith did not live to see the outcome of, as she passed away just five months after Dannielynn was born.
After Smith's death, several more men came forward claiming to be the father of her daughter, including Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband, Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, who said he'd had a decade-long affair with her, as well as Smith's former bodyguard, Alexander Denk.
Two months later, in April 2007, a Bahamian judge ruled that DNA tests had established Birkhead as the father of Smith's daughter, and he subsequently applied for an amended birth certificate listing him as the father. This enabled Birkhead to change the baby's surname and obtain a passport for her so that she could leave with him to live in the US.
Where is Dannielynn Birkhead now?
Dannielynn has lived in Kentucky with her father since moving to the US from the Bahamas. She started modelling at the age of six, appearing in a campaign for Guess Kids in 2013. At the time, co-founder of the fashion house, Paul Marciano, said: "Dannielynn has the same playful spirit that her mother had on a set."
Fans are able to keep up with Dannielynn via the Instagram account she shares with her father. On the account, the pair regularly update their followers as to what they get up to, which includes attending concerts together and mingling with celebs.
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me will be available to stream on Netflix from 16 May.
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